Godzilla: King of the Monsters Review

Godzilla is one of the few characters of film that has had a long career on the big screen with an equal amount of films reaching highs and lows. In recent years, the Godzilla franchise has made its home on American screens with Legendary Pictures "Monsterverse," which marks its newest entry with the very good Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

The main story of the film follows the Monarch Organization, previously introduced in 2014's Godzilla, as they deal with the rise of other kaiju, referred to as Titans. The audience is introduced to Dr. Emma Russel (Vera Farmiga) and her daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown), with Emma studying the Titans with a device called the "Orca," which becomes a major item in the film. After an encounter, the scientists are attacked, introducing the human villain of the film, an Eco-terrorist group. This leads to the rising of several titans including Rodan, Mothra, King Gidorah, and Godzilla. 

Overall the performances of the film are okay for the caliber and acting needed. There is nothing that surprises in the performances or anything that can fully be labeled as bad. One actor's performance who I very enjoyed was Ken Watanabe as Dr. Serezawa returning from the previous film. Watanabe brought a sense of controlled wonderment to his performance, making him one of the most interesting characters in the film.

A performance I was also interested in was Millie Bobby Brown as Madison, as I am familiar with her performance on Netflix's Stranger Things, but sadly it is a mixed bag. Although I greatly enjoyed her being able to speak a bit more and have a bit wider rage of emotion, most of the film she is delegated to be sullen and not speak until necessary.

The story is clearly the weakest part of the film. The first third of the film ends with a twist that feels very undeserved and will bring more "huh?" than gasps. When it comes to the terrorist group, while there are interesting aspects to the idea, it is much of the same motivations seen before.

The strongest aspects of the story are seen more near the end of the film, mostly through the character of Dr. Serezawa (Ken Watanabe), who has one of the best scenes in the film. But the human story is not what people come for when they see a Godzilla film. They come for the monsters. 

Luckily the Titans and their respective battles are one of the best parts of the film. Each of the monsters introduction are breathtaking, making them seem like physical creatures. From moment one the film is not shy about showing off its creatures. The film wants to show them off, and the film is full of small cameos from other monsters from previous Godzilla films.

These creatures are fully able to show themselves off in their battles, and luckily the battles are large and great. Gone are the snippets seen in 2014 Godzilla. The film places the numerous battles front and center for the audience to enjoy.  The action is splendid in its creativity,

Even though Godzilla: King of the Monsters has its faults, at its core it's a Godzillla film and people come to see Godzilla. If a person wants to see kaiju duke it out on the big screen and see the return of old favorites, Godzilla: King of the Monsters will perfectly satisfy that itch.